The invention relates to an improved playing surface and associated structure for a pin game in which a manually spinnable top member is used as a pin striking member.
In prior types of game apparatus of this general type it has been necessary to cause the playing surface to be sloped downwardly in a direction towards the array of pins to be struck by the spinning top when the latter is set in motion by the player. The development of skill at the game however, is reduced at best because on each new set up of the game by some sort of tilt supporting of the playing surface, such tilt is not consistant even though the ends of the playing surface may be supported such as by legs of predetermined different heights because the table or floor surface upon which such legs stand may not in itself be level. Furthermore, a surface which is tilted downwardly directly toward the pins i.e. in an axis direction extending from one end of the playing surface to the other through the centre of the array of pins, tends to draw the playing piece, or spinning top toward the pins thereby tending to direct the spinning top toward the centre line of the group of pins. Thus the element of skill because of the consistant conditions of slope direction and the inconsistant direction of the degree of slope is of a low order, success relying mainly upon chance where the odds are highly in favour of the player. Prior structures thus provide a game of chance, not a game of skill.